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El Cajon ( , ; Spanish language: El Cajón, lit. 'the box') is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was named for the box-like shape of the valley that surrounds the city, and the origin of the city's common nickname "the Box".
As of the 2020 census, El Cajon had a population of 106,215.
In 1905, the name was once again expanded to "El Cajon" under the insistence of California banker and historian Zoeth Skinner Eldredge.
Titles to plots of land were not granted to individuals until the Mexican era (1821–1846). The original intent of the 1834 secularization legislation was to have church property divided among the former mission Indians, but most of the grants were actually made to rich "Californios" of Spanish background who had long been casting envious eyes on the vast holdings of the Roman Catholic missions. In 1845, California Governor Pio Pico confiscated the lands of Mission San Diego de Alcala. He granted 11 square leagues (about ) of the El Cajon Valley to Dona Maria Antonio Estudillo, daughter of José Antonio Estudillo, alcalde of San Diego, to repay a $500 government obligation. The grant was originally called Rancho Santa Monica and encompassed present-day El Cajon, Bostonia, Santee, Lakeside, Flinn Springs, and the eastern part of La Mesa. It also contained the Rancho Cañada de los Coches grant. Maria Estudillo was the wife of Don Miguel Pedrorena (1808–1850), a native of Madrid, Spain, who had come to California from Peru in 1838 to operate a trading business.
With the cession of California to the United States after the Mexican–American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho El Cajon was filed by Thomas W. Sutherland, guardian of Pedrorena's heirs (his son, Miguel, and his three daughters, Victoria, Ysabel, and Elenain) with the Public Land Commission in 1852, confirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, and the grant was patented in 1876. In 1868, Los Angeles land developer Isaac Lankershim bought the bulk of the Pedrorena's Rancho El Cajon holdings and employed Major Levi Chase, a former Union Army officer, as his agent. Chase received from Lankershim known as the Chase Ranch. Lankershim hired Amaziah Lord Knox (1833–1918), a New Englander whom he had met in San Francisco, to manage Rancho El Cajon. In 1876, Knox established a hotel there to serve the growing number of people traveling between San Diego and Julian, where gold had been discovered in 1869. Room and board for a guest and horse cost $1 a night. The area became known as Knox's Corners but was later renamed.City of El Cajon, "The Downtown El Cajon Arch," , retrieved April 24, 2011; a copy is archived by WebCite® atCity of El Cajon, text of plaque on the Memorial Arch at intersection of Main and Magnolia Streets, 2009. By 1878 there were 25 families living in the valley, and a portion of the hotel lobby became the valley post office with Knox as the first postmaster. The San Diego, Cuyamaca and Eastern Railway reached El Cajon in the 1880s.
El Cajon was incorporated as a city in 1912. For the first half of the 20th century, El Cajon was known for its grape, avocado, and citrus agriculture.Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration (2013). 9780520954656, University of California Press. . ISBN 9780520954656
In the 1960s and 1970s, Frontier Town, Big Oak Ranch, was a tourist attraction, featuring a typical frontier-town theme park and a periodic simulated shootout. The park closed around 1980 and is being used for residential housing.
Cajon Speedway was a that operated from 1961 to 2005. It was founded by Earle Brucker Jr. of the El Cajon Stock Car Racing Association. One of his sons, Steve Brucker, later took over ownership of the track. Although the speedway closed after the death of Steve Brucker, it is now a historic museum featuring the original entrance sign with the slogan "The fastest 3/8-mile paved oval in the West."
Temperature variations between night and day tend to be moderate with an average difference of during the summer, and an average difference of during the winter.
The annual average precipitation at El Cajon is . Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the winter, but rare in summer. The wettest month of the year is February with an average rainfall of .
The record high temperature was on September 5, 2020. The record low temperature was on January 8, 1913. The wettest year was 1941 with and the driest year was 1989 with . The most rainfall in one month was in January 1993. The most rainfall in 24 hours was on January 27, 1916. A rare snowfall in November 1992 totaled . El Cajon Monthly Climate Summary; El Cajon Yale Ranch Monthly Climate Summary. Western Regional Climate Center. |access-date = February 26, 2013 of snow covered the ground in January 1882.
American Community Survey estimates, there were people and households. The population density was . There were housing units at an average density of .To calculate density we use the land area figure from the places file in The racial makeup of the city was 50.6% White, 15.0% some other race, 5.6% Black or African American, 3.4% Asian, 1.3% Native American or Alaskan Native, and 1.3% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, with 22.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 36.6% of the population.
Of the households, 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.9% had seniors 65 years or older living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 4.8% were couples cohabitating, 16.8% had a male householder with no partner present, and 26.0% had a female householder with no partner present. The median household size was and the median family size was .
The age distribution was 25.9% under 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was years. For every 100 females, there were males.
The median income for a household was $, with family households having a median income of $ and non-family households $. The per capita income was $. Out of the people with a determined poverty status, 22.7% were below the poverty line. Further, 31.4% of minors and 17.3% of seniors were below the poverty line.
In the survey, residents self-identified with various ethnic ancestries. People of Arab American descent made up 5% of the population of the town, followed by German American at 6.7%, English American at 5.8%, Irish American at 4.3%, Italian American at 3.0%, American at 2.4%, Sub-Saharan African at 1.9%, Polish American at 1.7%, Norwegian at 1.4%, Swedish American at 1.0%, French American at 0.9%, Dutch American at 0.8%, Hungarian at 0.8%, Scottish at 0.6%, Greek American at 0.5%, Portuguese at 0.5%, and Czech American at 0.5%.
About one-third of El Cajon residents were foreign-born. In particular, the city has a large Iraqi immigrant population, consisting of both Arab American and Chaldean Catholics; both groups are among the largest such communities in the country.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2008-2010 Estimate, 7,537 residents self identify as Arabs (7.6%; mainly Iraqi), and 6,409 (6.4%) are Chaldean Catholic Assyrian People. In 2017, a spokesperson for the city of El Cajon estimated that 15,000 to 20,000 Chaldo-Assyrians live in the city.
In 2010, El Cajon had the highest poverty rate in San Diego County among adults, 29.7%, and for children, 36.5%.
Of the 34,199 households, 37.0% had children under 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were not families. About 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.70, and the average family size was 3.21.
In the city, the age distribution was 27.9% under 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,566, and for a family was $40,045. Males had a median income of $32,498 versus $25,320 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,698. About 13.5% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
On October 24, 2013, Mayor Mark Lewis resigned his position after coming under criticism for remarks he made about El Cajon's Chaldo-Assyrian community. Many notable figures including Congressman Juan Vargas and Neighborhood Market Association President Mark Arabo called for his resignation. Lewis resigned shortly after due to health issues. On November 12, the city council appointed Councilman Bill Wells, who had been serving as mayor Pro tempore. The vote of the council was 4–0; Wells recused himself. He was elected to a full four-year term as mayor in November 2014 and re-elected in November 2018 and November 2022.
In 2025, councilmembers were Gary Kendrick (district 1), Michelle Metschel (district 2), Steve Goble (district 3), and Phil Ortiz (district 4). All council terms end in December 2028 except for Kendrick's, which ends in December 2026.
El Cajon's city manager is Graham Mitchell.
In the United States House of Representatives, El Cajon is in .
El Cajon's annual Mother Goose Parade has been held on the Sunday before Thanksgiving every year since 1946. Organizers claim it is the largest parade in San Diego County. It features more than 100 entries, including "motorized floats, marching bands and drill units, equestrians, clowns, performing artists, giant helium balloons, specialty vehicles, and Santa Claus."
Downtown El Cajon includes The Magnolia, a City-owned entertainment venue in partnership with Live Nation Entertainment, St. Madeleine Sophie's Center and Garden that serves adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the Olaf Weighost Museum and Western Heritage Center which features items from the 40 years that Olaf Wieghorst lived in El Cajon.
2020 census
+ El Cajon city, California – Racial and ethnic composition
!Race / Ethnicity ( NH = Non-Hispanic)
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!
!% 2000
!% 2010
!White alone (NH) 61,188 56,462 52.83% Black or African American alone (NH) 4,828 5,939 6.27% Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 661 455 0.31% Asian Americans alone (NH) 2,511 3,375 4.71% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) 331 440 0.39% Other Race alone (NH) 181 261 0.58% Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 3,856 4,510 5.46% Hispanic or Latino (any race) 21,313 28,036 29.44% Total 94,869 99,478 100.00%
2010
The 2010 United States census reported that El Cajon had a population of 99,478. The racial makeup of El Cajon was 43,746 (41.6%) White, 6,306 (6.3%) African American, 835 (0.8%) Native American, 3,561 (3.6%) Asian (1.7% Filipino, 0.5% Chinese, 0.4% Vietnamese, 0.2% Japanese, 0.1% Indian, 0.1% Korean, 0.6% other), 495 (0.5%) Pacific Islander, 26,498 (26.6%) from other races, and 6,832 (6.9%) from two or more races. There were 31,542 Hispanic or Latino residents of any race (30.4%).
2000
As of the census of 2000, 94,869 people, 34,199 households, and 23,152 families were residing in the city. The population density was . There were 35,190 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 42.9% White, 5.4% African American, 1.0% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 24.1% from other races], and 6.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 29.2% of the population.
Household income
According to estimates by the San Diego Association of Governments, the median household income of El Cajon in 2005 was $47,885 (not adjusted for inflation). When adjusted for inflation (1999 dollars; comparable to Census data above), the median household income was $38,884.
Ethnic groups
, it had an estimated 40,000 Iraqi Americans. Included are members of different religious and ethnic groups originating from Iraq. The Iran–Iraq War prompted the first immigration, and it continued due to the Persian Gulf War and then the U.S. Invasion of Iraq and the resulting conflict.
Government
Until 2012, El Cajon was a general law city operating under a council-manager system. In June 2012, the voters adopted a city charter, changing its status to chartered city. El Cajon is governed by a five-member city council, on which the mayor also sits. Starting in 2018, four councilmembers are elected from single-member districts and the mayor is elected at-large.
State and federal representation
In the California State Legislature, El Cajon is in . The northern half of the city is in , and the southern half of the city is in .
Economy
According to the city's 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
The Parkway Plaza shopping mall is located in El Cajon.
1 Cajon Valley Union School District 1,412 2 GKN 859 3 Grossmont–Cuyamaca Community College District 712 4 City of El Cajon 450 5 Grossmont Union High School District 431 6 Taylor Guitars 400 7 Country Hills Health Care & Rehabilitation Center 357 8 Emcor 352 9 The Home Depot 339 10 Walmart 260
Education
Cajon Valley Union School District operates public elementary and middle schools. Grossmont Union High School District operates public high schools.
Public elementary schools
Public middle schools
Public high schools
Steele Canyon high school
Private schools
Colleges
Places of interest
Annual events
On a Saturday in May, the city celebrates its diversity with a free family-friendly event called "America on Main Street". The festival replaces a previous city-sponsored event called the International Friendship Festival, which ran from 1991 to 2003. Both festivals highlight the city's identity as a "mini-United Nations", with 30% of its population being immigrants from Iraq, Somalia, Syria, Turkey, and other countries.
Visitor attractions
Visitor attractions in and around El Cajon include the Water Conservation Garden and Butterfly Garden at Cuyamaca College, Sycuan Casino, Summers Past Farms, and the Parkway Plaza Mall.
Transportation
Bus and train
Airports
Notable people
See also
External links
Categories: Www.ci.el-cajon.ca.us Official Website, Assyrian Diaspora In The United States, Arab-american Culture In California, Cities In San Diego County, California, East County, Incorporated Cities And Towns In California, Populated Places Established In 1875, 1875 Establishments In California, Populated Places Established In 1912, 1912 Establishments In California
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